No Limit - Athletes On The Edge

"Ten top stars who are pushing boundaries and redefining their sports, sound off on competition, fame and what's playing on their headphones."

The Multi Talent - Niki Gudex

On the Edge: Sydneysider Niki Gudex has made the most of her 5 years in mountain biking, forging ahead in the fields of downhill and cross country to the point where she has a follow-the-sun lifestyle. She spends summer in Australia, and then in winter heads to the Northern Hemisphere to race the World Cup and NORBA (American National Series) MTB races. Gudex spent July in Colorado, busy with Altitude training, after a quick trip to New Mexico. Life is tough.

The Payoff: Gudex's silver medal in cross country during this year's National MTB Championships. The wins are being noticed. Type "niki" into Google, and you'll soon notice that Gudex's www.nikigudex.com will pop up third on the list. "My site gets a lot of traffic," she admits. "It actually used to rank first on Google. It was always a battle with Niki Lauda Airlines for the first Google spot."

Breaking The Rules: A top spot on Google doesn't come from blood and sweat alone. Success in elite sport may be all about commitment, but Gudex prefers to multi-skill. After all, if you have the talents as a graphic designer, why not use them? Ditto if you look good enough to be a swimsuit model. Gudex's looks have helped land her ads and editorial spreads in publications as diverse as style bible Vogue and British men's magazine Maxim. "I do some modelling between my racing commitments, but racing and training definitely come first," she says. "The last job I did was a shoot in Brampton Island up North. It was fun; I went snorkelling in my spare time."

Career High: World Championships 2003 in Switzerland. "It's always cool to represent your country", Gudex offers [There were] amazing landscapes, and the Swiss are so passionate about cycling. When you're racing there are about 50,000 people cheering around the course. It definitely give you a little something extra for those steep climbs." Despite her careers highs so far, the best is yet to come for Gudex. The cyclist now has her sights firmly set on next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Words: Allen St. John. Photographed by Chris O'Connell. "No Limit - Athletes On The Edge '05" Rolling Stone Magazine, September 2005 Issue.